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Holding a code and sending a code are two different moments.
  • Hold happens as soon as a student enrolls or a purchase is confirmed. That unused code is no longer available for someone else.
  • Send happens when the student can actually see the values (email + dashboard).
You control send on the course under Student access → When students receive access.

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Two paths, two rules

A course can be used in a program and sold on its own. Set timing for each: They do not have to match. Example: enrolled students get codes 7 days before class. Standalone buyers get codes right after purchase.

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Options for enrolled students

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Before class starts, with an example

You set 7 days before class.
  • Cohort start date: March 15
  • Jordan enrolls on February 1
  • Jordan’s code is held on February 1
  • Jordan’s code is sent on March 8 (7 days before March 15)
If Jordan enrolls late, they still do not wait extra. The send time is the later of:
  • When they enrolled
  • Cohort start minus your number of days
So if Jordan enrolls on March 10, and class starts March 15 with a 7-day rule, they get access at enrollment (March 10), not on March 8 in the past.
The platform checks once an hour for codes that are due to send. A student might get the email a little after the exact minute of the scheduled time, not at 12:00:00 a.m. sharp.

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Options for standalone purchasers

Standalone purchases have no class start date, so Before class starts is not offered there.

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What students are told in the meantime

They never see the actual code until it is sent. They do see a clear status: Exact student wording is in What students see.

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What you see as staff

On Pending deliveries the timing line will look like:
  • Reserved, waiting automatic release — scheduled, not due yet
  • Reserved, waiting manual release — you must click Release
  • Waiting for codes — you were out of stock when they enrolled or bought
  • Released — already sent
On a student’s enrollment or purchase you may also see a Credential access note with the same idea.

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Cohort-level timing

For the enrollment path, a cohort can override the course rule (for example, this one class should wait for staff even if the course is “7 days before”). Shared values like Course ID can also differ per class. See Different values per class.

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Which option should I pick?

Changing timing on the course does not rewrite history for codes already sent. It applies to new enrollments and purchases, and to deliveries that are still waiting.